New Delhi, Nov 23 : SITMEX 2020, the trilateral naval exercise between India, Singapore and Thailand was held in the Andaman sea. The SITMEX-20 Naval exercise was scheduled in a 'non-contact at sea only format' due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
The Indian Navy was represented by INS Karmuk and INS Kamorta. The Singapore Navy was represented by RSS Intrepid, RSS Endeavour. The Thailand Navy was represented by a Chao class frigate HTMS Kraburi. The exercise involved weapon firing on the surface, war at sea exercise, coordinated navigation operation and seamanship evolution.
The main objective of the exercise is to increase the inter-operability between the three navies. The exercise will also enhance multifaceted Maritime operations. Apart from SITMEX, India and Singapore held SIMBEX-20 separately in the Andaman sea.
The conduct of the trilateral naval exercise between India Singapore and Thailand was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Shangri La dialogue and the maiden edition of the exercise was held in 2019.
Singapore and Thailand are significant for India from the economic aspect since much of India’s trade with ASEAN is from Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. India became a dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992. The trade between India and ASEAN has grown by 11.2% between 1993 and 2003. The trilateral naval exercise is thus important to strengthen the relationship between the three countries.